Transcript for January 22nd and 23rd

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 23rd and 24th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
The every thin crescent moon appears next to Saturn on the morning of the 24th.

RACHEL
To see this astronomical event, go outside at 6:30 AM.

PAUL
Then look very low in the southeast.

RACHEL
The moon will appear as a very thin crescent and Saturn will be the star to the right of the moon.

PAUL
The moon is thin enough that your binoculars will not show a lot of craters.

RACHEL
However, they will show several star clusters and nebulae lying between the solar system and the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

PAUL
To see them, just scan the region to the left of the moon.

RACHEL
You’re looking for the small fuzzy spots.

PAUL
This region of the sky is located over the galaxy’s nucleus.

RACHEL
Which is the region we see in the low south on summer nights.

PAUL
Since its six months before we see this region in the south after sunset, we can see it at 6:00 AM January mornings.

RACHEL
The reason we see it in the morning now is that the stars rise four minutes earlier each day.

PAUL
That makes a day with respect to the stars only 23 hours and 56 minutes long.

RACHEL
Astronomers call this the sidereal day.

PAUL
The length of the day relative to the sun however is 24 hours long.

RACHEL
And astronomers call this the solar day.

PAUL
The four minute difference results from Earth orbiting the sun once a year.

RACHEL
So as Earth goes around the sun, the stars appear to rise four minutes earlier than the sun each day.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 23rd and 24th of January.

RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.